1. Field
The invention is in the field of cannulas for attachment to a person""s head to deliver oxygen through the person""s nose from a pressurized oxygen tank or oxygen concentrator.
2. State of the Art
There are a number of persons whom require supplemental oxygen such as after surgery to aid in the healing process, and persons having lungs of limited capacity due to lung damage which require supplemental oxygen to assist in everyday life. Such damage to a person""s lungs occurs by scarring of the lung tissue caused by irritants in the air such as tobacco smoke, asbestos particles, and chemicals, and by diseases such as lung cancer and emphysema.
Prior art cannulas for delivery of oxygen to the person""s nose typically comprise a nose piece, a pair of oxygen tubes, an adjustment collar, and a connector. The nose piece has a tubular body with a pair of integral nostril tubes. A first end of each oxygen tube is attached to respective end portions of the nose piece. Second ends of each oxygen tube are attached to the connector. A mating connector attached to a main oxygen delivery tube connects to the connector of the cannula for delivery of oxygen from a compressed oxygen supply tank or from an oxygen concentrator which separates oxygen from the ambient air. The adjustment collar is slidable along the oxygen tubes to adjust the fit of the cannula to the person""s head.
The prior art cannula fits around the person""s head with the nostril tubes of the nose piece inserted into the respective nostrils of the person""s nose to deliver oxygen thereto. The oxygen tubes are each looped over a respective ear of the person with an upper portion thereof closely adjacent a respective cheek bone of the person and lower portions thereof fitting adjacent respective lower side portions of the person""s jaw. The adjustment collar is positioned just below the lower center portion of the person""s jaw to provide tension on the oxygen tubes so as to retain the nose piece in position closely adjacent the person""s nose and to retain the entire cannula in place on the person""s head.
A major problem with such prior art cannula occurs when the main oxygen delivery tube which delivers oxygen to the cannula gets snagged on an object, which happens frequently during the course of a day for a mobile person such as when carrying or pulling a portable oxygen tank or a person connected by a long main tube to a stationary oxygen concentrator located in a house or apartment. When such snagging occurs, the oxygen tubes are typically pulled generally downwardly such that the tension on the upper portions of the oxygen tubes is significantly increased jamming the nose piece into the person""s nose causing much discomfort to such person and potential injury to the nose, ears, and face of the person. Such snagging also causes the upper portions of the respective oxygen tubes to move upwardly towards the person""s eyes partially blocking the field of view, which can be particularly hazardous while driving an automobile.
Another problem is that the retaining collars are prone to slip downwardly during cannula use such that the tension on the oxygen tubes is reduced. Such loss of tension can cause the nose piece to fall from the person""s nose and the oxygen tubes to fall from around the person""s ears. This is particularly prone to occur when the person is asleep and is typically caused by tossing and turning of the person causing contact of the cannula and retaining collar against the bed. The person generally awakes when the nose piece dislodges or falls from the person""s nose due to the insufficient supply of oxygen to the person""s brain, and the person must subsequently reattach the cannula. This activity disrupts the person""s sleep particularly when occurring multiple times each night. If the person does not awake, potentially serious hypoxia, including permanent brain damage and death can occur due to the lack of sufficient oxygen supply to the person""s brain.
There is a need for a means and method for retaining a cannula in place during use, particularly while the person is asleep, and for preventing painful tugging on the oxygen tubes jamming the nose piece into the person""s nose, particularly while the person is awake and active. Likewise, there is a need for an improved cannula using such means.
The invention comprises cannula retainers, cannula with retainer assemblies which include such cannula retainers, and methods of use of such cannula with retainer assemblies. The cannula retainers are for use with any of a number of standard type cannulas commercially available of the type having a tubular nose piece with nostril tubes for introducing oxygen into a person""s nose, dependent oxygen tubes extending from opposite ends of the nose piece for looping over the person""s ears forming upper and lower oxygen tube portions the lower portions of which terminate at a connector for connection to a mating connector attached to an oxygen main tube for delivery of oxygen, and typically including a slidable retaining collar disposed about the lower portion of the oxygen tubes for tensioning the oxygen tubes against the person""s lower jaw.
The cannula retainers comprise an elongate body means having opposite end portions and a pair of retaining means, one connected to each of the opposite end portions of the body means for attachment to respective upper and lower portions of the oxygen tube to retain the oxygen tube in a looped configuration about the person""s ears. The cannula retainers can be of a fixed length or of a variable length including being stretchable or elastic and of an adjustable length.
A first embodiment of the cannula retainer is of fixed length, with a first version thereof comprising an elongate, resilient, discontinuous band, wherein the body means comprises a middle portion of the band and the retaining means comprises the end portions of the band which form end clips having respective loops, with the respective ends of the band spaced apart and angled outwardly from the body means to aid in insertion of the oxygen tube into the end clips. A second version, fixed length cannula retainer comprises an elongate, resilient, continuous band wherein the body means comprises a middle portion of the band with opposite band portions juxtaposed and the retaining means comprises end portions of the band which are doubled over to form end loops. A third version, fixed length cannula retainer comprises an elongate, resilient, discontinuous band wherein the body means comprises a middle portion of the band and the retaining means comprises end portions of the band which are doubled over to form end loops, wherein the ends of the band overlap, and a slidable tubular buckle fits over the middle portion of the band and over the ends of the band to retain the respective ends to the middle portion of the band. A fourth version, fixed length cannula retainer has a body means which comprises an elongate tubular member having opposite ends and the retaining means which comprises a pair of locking belt loops each having a locking body with a resilient ratchet tooth therein and an integral locking belt which extends from the locking body having a plurality of transverse teeth, each locking body being affixed within a respective end of said tubular member such that said locking belt is insertable into a hole therein so as to form a loop to receive oxygen tube. with the ratchet tooth retaining the locking belt therein. A fifth version, fixed length cannula retainer has a body means which comprises an elongate tubular body and the retaining means which comprises a pair of T-shaped tubular members affixed to opposite ends thereof into which a respective oxygen tube fits.
A second embodiment of the cannula retainer is of variable length, with a first version wherein the body means comprises an elongate body member which is made of a stretchable, elastic material and wherein the retaining means comprises a pair of hook members affixed to opposite ends thereof. A second version, variable length cannula retainer has a body means which comprises a tubular member which is internally threaded at the respective ends thereof and the retaining means which comprises a pair of hook members each having a hook portion and an externally threaded shaft each of which threads into a respective end of the tubular member. The variable length is achieved by rotating the tubular member relative to the hook members. Respective pairs of ends of the tubular member and the threaded shafts are preferably threaded in opposite right-hand and left-hand directions such that rotational movement of the tubular member relative to the hook members moves both of the hook members in linearly opposite directions so as to simultaneously lengthen or shorten the cannula retainer. A third version, variable length cannula retainer is similar to the second version, except that the hook members are replaced by clip members each having a clip and an externally threaded shaft which threads into a respective end of the tubular member. The operation thereof is the same as the second version. A fourth version, variable length cannula retainer includes a body means such as comprising a tubular body, a retaining means such as comprising a pair of elongate members which fit within respective bores in the ends of the tubular body, and a frictional means such as comprising a plurality of ribs on the respective elongate members and inside the respective bores which interlock so as to retain the respective retaining means in a fixed position until application of a linear force between the respective retaining means and the body means sufficient to overcome the frictional means.
The cannula with retainer assemblies of the invention comprise a tubular nose piece having a pair of nostril tubes for introducing oxygen into the nostrils of the person""s nose., a pair of dependent oxygen tubes extending from opposite ends of the nose piece for looping over the ears of the a user forming upper and lower oxygen tube portions, a connector connected to opposite end portions of the oxygen tubes for connection to the mating connector on the main tube, a slidable retaining collar or similar means disposed about the respective lower portions of the oxygen tubes for tightening below a user""s chin, and a pair of fixed length or variable length cannula retainers each being for attachment to the upper and lower portions of a respective oxygen tube to retain the oxygen tube in a looped configuration about the person""s ears.
The method of the invention is for retaining a cannula of the type described above to a person""s head, comprising the step of retaining the upper and lower portions of the respective oxygen tubes in a predetermined spaced relationship forward of the person""s respective ear in a looped configuration about the user""s ear such that sufficient tension is maintained on the nose piece during cannula use to maintain the nose piece in the proper oxygen delivery position and wherein pulling downwardly on the connector and lower portions of the oxygen tubes does not significantly add tension to the upper portions of the oxygen tubes so as to uncomfortably force the nose piece further into the person""s nose. The method can be practiced using any-of the cannula retainers of the invention, fixed length or variable length. The method can include a further step of adjusting the length of the cannula retainers to fit the person""s head.